I don't usually pay the tinkers either, but I'm curious about your logic. I don't buy things from them out of simple self-interest - if I do, they'll never leave me alone. So I'm with you but I disagree or perhaps question your logic.
If you don't purchase items from them, what other career path is it that you believe might open up for them?
A good question DT and a very valid one too.
When visiting a 3rd world country where you WILL encounter incredibly poor people probably makes this a question many will be asking themselves or be pondering over when confronted with the scenario.
If you visit Cambodia I guarantee you will see beggars, more people with literally nothing, apart from the worn-out clothes on their backs and, for many, a life which is one constant ongoing struggle to survive. This, of course, includes children of all ages.
So, shall I give something to the street kids begging or buy something from the street kids selling?
Essentially, my own reasons are that
the giving encourages them and their families to continue doing it.
What any of us might easily dispose of in the bars and restaurants on any given day or evening could easily cloth, feed and educate many poor children for weeks. So it can be difficult to resist pressing a few Riel or even a Dollar into the little hand of a small child, imagining how they will at least get a full belly today and their life will be just that little bit better, but it is so very short-lived.
The reality is that you will likely be the only one who's better off for doing so and you're doing yourself more good than the children themselves. Your freshly acquired inner warmth and glow of having done something decent is very short-sighted.
In the long term the giving or buying from them just encourages their parents not to bother sending the children to school, they are then deprived of an education, plus they are encouraged to continue exposing themselves to the dangers on the streets from corruption and abuse and it simply perpetuates their life-cycle of poverty and lack of education and safety.
But there are no rules for personal choices, just opinions and suggestions. If I were a millionaire, I'd build schools in Cambodia.
A website for child safety in Cambodia is commonly seen around the tourist areas which highlights their daily plight and the dangers they're exposed to. These websites and messages try to not only untarnish the country's poor reputation, but ultimately try to protect the vulnerability of their youngsters.
http://childsafe-int...NK-campaign.asphttp://www.cambodianchildrensfund.org/
